Method for straightening sausage links

ABSTRACT

A method for straightening elongated articles such as sausage links. A pair of horizontal endless belt conveyors operate at slightly different speeds. The lower belt conveyor has a greater length than the upper belt conveyor so that the end of the lower conveyor projects beyond the corresponding end of the upper conveyor. Chilled sausage links are conveyed upwardly by an elevator and deposited on the projecting end of the lower conveyor and passed between the belts. As the sausage links pass between the belts, they are rotated to thereby straighten the links.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 756,483, filed Jan. 3, 1977.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Sausage, such as pork sausage, is frequently stuffed in natural casing.Because natural casing has a generally spiral configuration, afterstuffing and linking, the links have a generally curved or bowed shape.The sausage links are normally packed in boxes, and due to the bowedconfiguration, automatic packaging equipment cannot be used to packagethe sausage links, but instead the sausage links must be manuallypackaged. Manual packing results in substantially increased labor costsas compared to situations where automatic packaging equipment can beutilized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for straightening elongatedcylindrical articles, such as sausage links stuffed in natural casings.In the method a pair of generally horizontal, endless belt conveyorsoperate in the same direction and at slightly different speeds. Thelower belt conveyor has a greater length than the upper conveyor so thatthe inlet end of the lower conveyor projects beyond the correspondingend of the upper conveyor. The sausage links are initially chilled, andthe chilled links are conveyed upwardly by a cleat-type elevator anddeposited on the projecting end of the lower conveyor. The links thenpass between the moving belt conveyors and are rotated about their axesto thereby straighten the chilled links. As the links are in a chilledcondition, they will not substantially revert to their original bowedconfiguration, and thus can be handled and packaged in boxes byautomatic packaging equipment.

As the straightened links are more uniform in shape, the packedappearance of the sausage links is more attractive to the consumer.

The upper end of the elevator is located adjacent the inlet end of thelower conveyor, and as the sausage links ride upwardly on the elevator,they are trapped between the elevator and the lower belt conveyor, bothof which are operating at the same speed, thereby insuring that thelinks will be deposited in a transverse manner on the lower beltconveyor.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescription.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate the best mode presently contemplated of carryingout the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the opposite side of theapparatus;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section showing the elevator conveyor and thehorizontal belt conveyors;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section showing the attachment of elevatorconveyor links to the side plates;

FIG. 5 is a section showing the drive for the elevator conveyor;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 1 and showing themounting of the horizontal belt conveyors; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged section of the belt conveyors showing the transferof the sausage links from the elevator to the lower belt conveyor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus for straightening sausage links whichcomprises a frame 1 and hopper 2 is mounted on the frame. Chilledsausage links 3 are fed to the hopper 2 and are individually elevated byan elevator 4 and deposited on the inlet end of the lower of twocooperating belt conveyors 5 and 6. The links 3 passing between the beltconveyors 5 and 6 are rotated about their axes to straighten the linksand the links are then discharged from the conveyors into a chute 7where they can be fed to a transverse conveyor, not shown, leading tothe automatic packaging equipment.

The frame 1 includes a base 8 which is supported on a series of wheels 9enabling the unit to be moved throughout the plant. Extending upwardlyfrom the forward end of the base are spaced, side plates 10, and theplates are supported by vertical supports 11 of frame 1 which extendupwardly from the base 8.

The hopper 2 is formed of an inclined bottom surface 12 and a pair ofside flanges 13 which are connected to the side plates 10.

The elevator 4 includes an endless, link-type conveyor 14 which travelsin a conveying path that is at an angle of about 60° C. with respect tothe horizontal. As best shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 7, the conveyor 14 iscomposed of a plurality of generally parallel rods 15 which are locatedtransverse to the direction of movement of the conveyor, and the rods 15have bent ends 16 which are interlocked with the ends of adjacent rods.Flat links 17 serve to pivotally connect the rods together.

Extending outwardly from the links 17 are a series of generally parallelcleats or flights 18 which are spaced apart in the range of about 1/2 to6 inches. The sausage links 3 will rest on the flights 18 and areconveyed upwardly from the hopper 2 through movement of the conveyor 14.

To guide the conveyor 14 in its path of movement, the interconnectedbent ends 16 of the rods are guided within grooves 19 milled in theinner surfaces of the side plates 10, and the configuration of themilled groove is best illustrated in FIG. 3.

The conveyor 14 is driven by a pair of drive sprockets 20, the teeth ofwhich engage the rods 15, as shown in FIG. 5. The drive sprockets 20 aremounted on a shaft 21 which extends through openings 22 in therespective side plates. The inner surface of each side plate is providedwith a recess 23 which communicates with groove 19 and receives therespective sprocket, as shown in FIG. 5.

To journal the shaft 21 for rotation, a cage 24 is mounted on the upperportion of frame 1 and each cage 24 carries a bearing assembly 25 whichsupports the shaft 21.

One end of the shaft carries a sprocket 26 that is connected by chain 27to a sprocket 28 of a variable speed drive unit 29 that is mounted onthe frame 1. With this connection, operation of the drive unit 29 willrotate the shaft 21 to drive the conveyor 14.

The lower end of the conveyor 14 is supported by a pair of idlersprockets 30, the teeth of which engage the rods 15 of the conveyor.Sprockets 30 are carried by shaft 31 which extends through slots 32 inthe respective side plates 10 and the ends of the shaft 31 are journaledwithin bearing assemblies 33. To adjust the tension on the conveyor 14,the bearing assemblies are mounted for sliding movement in a guidestructure 34 secured to the outer surface of each side plate 10. A rode35 is threaded within an opening in the guide structure 34 and isconnected to the respective bearing assembly 33, and through adjustmentof the rods 35, the bearing assemblies 33 can be moved within the guidestructures 34 to thereby adjust the tension on the conveyor 14.

Occasionally, one of the sausage links 3 may be conveyed upwardly on oneof the elevator flights 18 in a generally vertical manner with the upperend of the link riding against the side plate 10. If the link is in theposition it would not be properly deposited on the lower conveyors 5,and therefore the deflectors 36 are mounted on each side plate 10 andproject inwardly over the conveyor. The deflectors 36 serve to engageand deflect any sausage link 3 which may be riding upwardly along theside plate 10 and the link will fall back into the hopper 2 to bereconveyed by the elevator 4.

The conveying path of the conveyor 14 is at a relatively steep angle, inthe neighborhood of 60° to the horizontal, and thus if any sausage links3 are not fully supported by the cleats or flights 18, the links willfall back to the hopper and will be reconveyed upwardly by the elevator.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the conveyor 14 moves upwardly at an angle inits conveying path from idler sprockets 30, then travels generallyhorizontally over the end of the lower conveyor 5, then passes aroundthe drive sprockets 20 in a reverse horizontal path and finally movesdownwardly in a return path of travel to the idler sprocket 30.

The lower belt conveyor 5 includes an endless belt 37 having a roughenedsurface which is carried by a drive roll 38 and an idler roll 39, bothof which are mounted on a framework 40 that is supported from frame 1. Aflat support plate 41 is connected to the framework 40 and is locatedimmediately beneath the upper path of travel of the belt 37 to supportthe belt in movement.

The idler roll 39 is mounted on shaft 42 which is journaled withinbearing blocks 43 that are slidable within a guide structure 44connected to the sides of framework 40. A rod 45 is threaded within theguide structure 44 and is connected to the bearing block. By adjustmentof the rods 45, the bearing blocks 43 can be moved to adjust theposition of the roll 39 and the tension of the belt 37.

The drive roll 38 is mounted on shaft 46 which is journaled withinbearing assemblies 47 mounted on the upper portion of frame 1. One endof the shaft 46 carries a sprocket 48 which is driven by the chain 27.In addition, the chain 27 is trained over an idler sprocket 49 which isjournaled on the frame 1. With this arrangement, the chain 27 will drivethe elevator 4 and the lower belt conveyor 5 in synchronization.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the path of travel of the conveyor 14 ofelevator 4 is arranged so that it complements the path of travel of thebelt 37 as it passes over the drive roll 38, with the spacing betweenthe conveyor 14 and the belt 37 being slightly greater than the diameterof a sausage link 3. As the conveyor 14 and the belt 37 are travellingat the same speed, the sausage links will be trapped between theconveyor 14 and the belt 37 and as the conveyor 14 moves away from thehorizontal path of the belt 37, the sausage links will be deposited onthe belt with the axes of the links transverse to the direction of beltmovement. This arrangement insures that the sausages will be properlyoriented on the belt 37 and eliminates any possibility of the linksbouncing or rolling on the belt which could cause misalignment of thesausages. The upper conveyor 6 is constructed in a manner similar tothat of the lower conveyor and includes an endless belt 50 having arough textured surface which is supported by a drive roll 51 and idlerroll 52, both of which are mounted on the framework 53 of the upperconveyor. A flat support plate 54 is carried by the framework 53 and islocated immediately above the lower path of travel of the belt 50 andserves to prevent upward deflection of the belt as the links 3 passbetween the belts 37 and 50.

The idler roll 52 is mounted on a shaft 55 which is journaled withinbearing blocks 56 and each bearing block 56 is mounted for slidingmovement in a guide structure 57 mounted on the side of the framework53. In the manner previously described, a rod 58 is threaded within theguide structure 57, and is connected to each bearing block 56, and byadjustment of the rod 58, the bearing block 58 can be moved with respectto the guide structure to vary the tension on the belt 50.

The drive roll 51 is carried by shaft 59 which is journaled withinbearing blocks 60 mounted on the sides of the framework 53. One end ofthe shaft 59 carries a sprocket 61 which is connected by chain 62 to asprocket 63 of a variable speed drive unit 64 that is mounted on theframe 1. Operation of the drive unit 64 will drive the roll 51 tothereby move the belt 50 in its path of travel.

As shown in FIG. 3, the belts 37 and 50 are moving in the samedirection, that is, the lower path or run of the upper belt 50 and theupper path or run of the lower belt 37 are both moving in the samedirection, and preferably at slightly different speeds so that the links3 will be rotated about their axes as they pass between the cooperatingbelts 37 and 50. It is preferred to operate the upper belt 50 at a speedof about 5% to 100% faster than the speed of the lower belt 37, so thatthe links will be rotated one-half or more revolutions in passingbetween the conveyors. This rotating action serves to straighten thechilled links and due to the chilled condition the links will notsubstantially revert to the bowed or curved condition.

As shown in FIG. 6, the frame 53 of the upper conveyor is supported fromthe frame of the lower conveyor. A series of L-shaped brackets 65 extendoutwardly from the respective conveyors and are connected by verticalstuds 66. The studs 66 provide a means for adjusting the verticalspacing between the upper and lower conveyors.

In operation, the sausage links 3 are chilled in a conventional mannerso that the average or mean temperature throughout the cross section ofthe link is in the range of about 10° F. to 40° F. In practice, thelinks will not have a uniform temperature throughout their cross sectionand in some cases the outer surface layer may be frozen, while thecenter of the link may be at a temperature in the range of 25° F. to100° F. In any case, the links should be at a chilled temperature atwhich they can be straightened without fracturing, and will retain thestraightened shape without substantially reverting to their naturalbowed condition.

The chilled links 3 are deposited in the hopper 2 and are individuallyelevated by the elevator 4, best shown in FIG. 1. Any links which may bein a generally vertical orientation and ride against the side plates 10will be deflected back to the hopper by the deflectors 36.

As the links approach the lower conveyor 5 they are trapped between theconveyor 14 and the belt 37, as illustrated in FIG. 7. As the conveyor14 and belt 37 are operating at the same speed, the links will besmoothly transferred to the belt 37 and properly oriented, transverse tothe direction of movement of the belt 37. As previously noted, thismethod of transfer prevents the links from bouncing or rolling acrossthe belt 37 and thereby insures proper transverse alignment of the linkson the belt 37.

The links 3 then pass between the belts 37 and 50 and will be rotatedabout their axes. The belt speeds can be adjusted so that the links willrotate one-half or more revolutions when passing between the belts.

The links are then discharged from the conveyors 5 and 6 into the chute7 and a conveyor, not shown, can be located at the lower end of thechute to convey the straightened links to automatic packaging equipment.

The present invention provides a method for automatically straighteningbowed or curved articles so that they can be more readily packaged byautomatic packaging equipment. While the invention has particularapplication to sausage links stuffed in natural casings, it can also beemployed to straighten other elongated articles and correct deformitiesor out-of-roundness in the article.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out anddistinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as theinvention.

I claim:
 1. A method of straightening sausage links, comprising thesteps of chilling naturally bowed sausage links to a temperature suchthat the links can be straightened and will substantially retain thestraightened configuration, introducing the chilled sausage linksbetween a pair of cooperating belts, and operating the belts in the samedirection and at different speeds to thereby rotate the links abouttheir axes and straighten the links.
 2. The method of processing sausagelinks, comprising the steps of chilling bowed sausage links to atemperature sufficiently low to prevent the bowed links fromsubstantially reverting to their original bowed configuration afterstraightening, depositing the chilled bowed links on a first moving beltwith the axes of the links disposed generally transverse to thedirection of movement of said first belt, engaging the upper surfaces ofthe links disposed on the first belt with a second belt moving in thesame direction as said first belt, operating the second belt at adifferent speed than the first belt to thereby rotate the links abouttheir axes and straighten the same, removing the straightened links fromsaid first belt, and packaging the straightened links.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, and including the step of elevating the chilled links on anupwardly inclined feed conveyor, and transferring the links from thefeed conveyor to said first belt.
 4. The method of claim 3, andincluding the step of positioning the links between mating paths oftravel of said feed conveyor and said first belt prior to depositingsaid links on said first belt, and operating said feed conveyor and saidfirst belt at the same speed.
 5. The method of claim 3, whereinelevating the chilled links comprises the step of placing the individuallinks on spaced cleats on the upwardly inclined feed conveyor.
 6. Themethod of claim 2, and including the step of operating the second beltat a faster speed than the first belt.